OnePlus 5 Confirmed For A Summer Launch

The wait for one of the most-anticipated smartphones might be over soon. OnePlus has confirmed to The Verge that its next flagship smartphone the OnePlus 5 will be coming this summer. OnePlus is known for selling high-performing phones at considerable lower prices than rivals like Apple, Samsung and Google.

Image Source: OnePlus Store (screenshot)

Unlucky number 4 ditched again

OnePlus also confirmed the name of handset. The OnePlus 5 (not OnePlus 4 as the number four is unlucky in China) will be the successor to the OnePlus 3 and 3T released last year. The Chinese company said that it did not factor much into the naming, but one thing it did give thought was the number five jersey of former NBA player Robert Horry.

Several of the company’s employees are big fans of Horry, and there are even two paintings of him at OnePlus’ Shenzhen office, notes The Verge. Earlier this week, CEO Pete Lau also hinted that the device is in the works by sharing what is believed to be the first official teaser of the phone.

Many Chinese smartphone makers don’t even bother to sell in the U.S., and those that do fail to gain much traction. It is pretty difficult for a small startup to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung.

However, “OnePlus is a rare example of a small startup that has managed to break through in the US market,” says BGR.

The OnePlus 3 and 3T (at $400 and $450, respectively), were huge hits, and if the company continues the trend this year as well, it will definitely be a sign that this Chinese company is here to stay.

What to expect from the OnePlus 5

Not much is known about the handset, but there are rumors that it will come with a dual-camera setup and a 3,600 mAh battery. Leaked specifications suggest a 5.5-inch quad-HD (1440 x 2560 pixels) display and a 2.45GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 quad-core processor with Adreno 540 GPU. The handset is expected to come with 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM and offer 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.

According to an OppoMart listing, the device will be priced at about $449, making it on par with the 3T and significantly more expensive than the OnePlus 3. The listing also revealed the back of the phone, showing a black variant with OnePlus’ logo at the center. Further, it is expected to come with a 12-megapixel camera on the back, while the front camera is supposed to have an 8-megapixel sensor.

The OnePlus 5 will run on the Android N-based Oxygen OS and support Dash Charge 2.0 for fast charging, which the company says gives enough power for a day in just 30 minutes of charging. The phone will reportedly support 4G LTE connectivity. There may also be fingerprint scanning support on the front under the Home Button.

Previous reports have suggested OnePlus 5 variants with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 3600mAh battery. The phone was also tipped to be equipped with a 23-megapixel rear camera and a 16-megapixel selfie camera, but the OppoMart listing suggests otherwise, according to NDTV.